Machine and method for manufacturing heels



Dec. 3, 1929. A. R. TAYLOR 1,737,811

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING HEELS Filed Aug. 5, 1925 26 2a M w b F7647 F/G. 8. y flaw M ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES OFFICE ARCHIE ROLAND TAYLOR, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T'O NEW-ENG- LAND WOOD HEEL 00., OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING HEELS Application filed. August 5, 192

10 angles to the concavity. The intersection of the concave surface and the cylindrical breast groove naturally presents a curving outline when the heel is viewedfrom the side of the shoe, and the greater the curva- 15 ture of this outline, the more objectionable is this appearance. It has therefore been proposed to modify the cylindrical character of the breast groove, in the endeavor to obtain a straighter outline, but prior proposals of this nature have been more or less clumsy and have involved complicated machinery for their attainment.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of and machine for producing a heel having a straight-appearing outline of the above character. Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To the attainment of the above ends, a feature of the invention resides in suitably manipulating a suitably shaped knife for cutting the breast groove, the knlfe belng so designed and manipulated as to cause the cylindrical nature of the breast groove to be retained but to produce a line of intersection between the breast groove and the tapering, concave surface of the heel of such nature that it shall appear substantially straight when the heel is viewed from the side.

Vith these ends in view, the invention consists of the improved method and machine hereinafter described, illustrated in the preferred embodiment of the present inven- Serial No. 48,267.

tion; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a principle of the invention; Fig. 4 is a front view of the same; Fig. 5 is a plan of machine constructed according to' a preferred embodiment of the present in vention; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a breastgroove-cutting knife constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same.

A wood heel block or blank 2 is adapted to be clamped between arelatively station ary jaw 4 and a relatively movable jaw 6 that are relatively adjustable with respect to each other as shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6. The jaw 6 is adapted to be forced into clamping engagement against the block 2 by a handle 28. The jaws 4 and 6 are mounted upon a sliding member 22 that is adapted to be moved back and forth on a table 68 having legs 70, past a rotary cutter 14, by the handle 28. Rolls 34 or other antifriction means may be provided upon the slide 22 and resting upon the table 68 to facilitate the sliding movement of the slide 22. The cutter 14 is shown constituted of knives 8. As heretofore constructed, the cutting edges of the knives have been circular, to produce a circularly cylindrical breast groove in the breast 10 of the heel block. As the heel block tapers from the upper end 12 to the lower end 16, the intersection 18 of the cylindrical breast groove with the tapering surface of the heel has been curvilinear, as shown in Fig. 3. The objectionable curvature has been the more marked in that the tapereing surface of the heel is trans versely concave as indicated at 20.

According to the present invention, the knives 8 are so shaped that the'line of intersection produced during the breast-grooving operation shall appear substantially straight, as shown more particularly at 24 in Figs. 2 and 3. It is not essential that the knife or knives be in plate form, as illustrated, for they may be cast in a single, continuous memher, or made in some other form. It is essential, however, that on each side of the central portion 26, the cutting edge of the knife shall be provided with additional cutting edges 28 and 30, extending at a slight angle from the ends of the central portion 26, and merging gradually into the latter. The breast groove produced by this knife, though still cylindricahis not circularly cylindrical. The central portion 26 cuts the central portion 32 of the breast groove, and the portions 28 and 30 cut away the portions 18. The line of intersection between the tapered surface and the breast groove of the heel may, in fact, be a plane curve; but it will, of course, appear straight when the heel is viewed from the side, as in Fig. 2.

Modifications will readily occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to be included within the invention, as defined in the appeneded claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A'machine of the class described having, in combination, two elements, one of the ele ments comprising means for clamping an article, the other element comprising a knife shaped to out a cylindrical groove in the article, the article having a surface that is irregular in a direction parallel to the elements of the cylindrical groove, and means for relatively moving the two elements to cut the said cylindrical groove in the article, the knife being so shaped as to cut the irregular surface of the article during the said relative movement along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane.

2. A machine of the class described having. in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping an article having an irregular surface, the other element comprising a knife shaped to cut a groove in the article, means for relatively moving the two elements in substantially a straight-line path in a direction crosswise of the irregularity in the surface, the knife being so shaped as to cut the irregular surface of the article along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane during the relative movement of the elements.

3. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank, the other element comprising a knife shaped to .cut a cylindrical groove in the breast of the heel blank, the heel blank having a surface that tapers relatively to the longitudinal elements of the cylindrical groove, and means for relatively moving the two elements to cut the said cylindrical groove in the breast of the heel blank, the knife being so shaped as to cut the tapering surface along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane during the relative movement of the elements.

l. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank having a tapering concave surface, the 7 other element comprising a knife having a central arc-shaped portion for cutting a groove in the breast of the heel blank, and means for relatively moving the two elements in substantially a straight-line path, the knife having portions extending from each side of the arc-shaped portion at an angle to the arc-shaped portion for cutting successive portions of the tapering concave surface along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane during the relative movement of the elements.

6. A method of shaping an article having an irregular surface that comprises cutting a cylindrical groove in the article, the curve of intersection of the cylindical groove and the irregular surface lying in substantially a plane.

7. A method of shaping an article having an irregular curved surface that comprises relatively moving the article in substantially a straight-line path in a direction crosswise of the curve of the irregular curved surface past a knife shaped to cut a cylindrical groove in the irregular surface of the article along a line of out that shall lie in substantially a plane.

8. A method of shaping a heel blank that comprises cutting a cylindrical groove in the breast of the heel blank, the heel blank having a surface that tapers relatively to the longitudinal elements of the cylindrical groove, and the curve of intersection of the cylindrical groove and the tapering surface lying in substantially a plane.

9. A method of shaping a heel blank having a tapering surface and a breast surface that comprises relatively moving the heel blank in substantially a straight-line path at an incline to the tapering surface past a knife to cut a groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife being shaped to cut the tapering surface along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane, whereby the curve of intersection of the tapering surface and the breast will lie in substantially the plane.

10. A method of shaping a heel blank having a tapering concave surface and a breast surface that comprises relatively moving the heel blank in substantially a straightline path past a knife to cut a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife having portions for cutting the tapering surface of the heel blank along a line of cut that shall lie in substantially a plane.

11. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank, the other element comprising a knife shaped to cut a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the heel blank having a surface that tapers relatively to the longitudinal elements of the cylindrical groove, and means for relatively moving the two elements to cut the said cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife being so shaped as to cut the tapering surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane during the relative movement of the elements.

12. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank, the other element comprising a knife shaped to cut a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the heel blank having a concave surface that tapers relatively to the longitudinal elements of the cylindrical groove, and means for relatively moving the two elements in substantially a straight-line path at an incline to the tapering surface to cut the said cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife having portions shaped to cut successive portions of the tapering concave surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane during the relative movement of the elements.

13. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank, the other element comprising a knife having a central arc-shaped portion for cutting a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the heel blank having a concave surface that tapers relatively to the longitudinal elements of the cylindrical groove, and means for relatively moving the two. elements in substantially a straight-line path at an incline to the tapering surface to cut the said cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife having portions extending from each side of the areshaped portion at an angle to the are shaped portion for cutting successive portions of the tapering concave surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane during the relative movement of the elements.

14. A machine for grooving heels having, in combination, two elements, one of the elements comprising means for clamping a heel blank having a tapering surface, the other element comprising a rotary knife having a central arc-shaped portion for cutting a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, means for rotating the knife, and means for relatively moving the two elements in substantially a straight-line path, the knife having portions extending from each side of the arc-shaped portion at an angle to the arc-shaped portion for cutting successive portions of the tapering surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane during the relative movement of the elements.

15. A method of shaping a heel blank having a longitudinally tapering surface and a breast surface that comprises relatively moving the heel blank in substantially a straightline path at an incline to the tapering surface past a knife to cut a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife being shaped to cut the tapering surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane, whereby the two lines of cut will lie in substantially the plane.

16. A method of shaping a heel blank having a longitudinally tapering concave surface and a breast surface that comprises relatively moving the heel blank in substantially a straight-line path at an incline to the tapering surface past a knife to cut a cylindrical groove in the breast surface of the heel blank, the knife having portions for cutting the tapering surface at opposite sides of the heel blank along two lines of cut that shall lie in substantially the same plane, whereby the two lines of cut will lie in substantially the plane.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 

